Nobody Else
by g0shawk
Summary: A Mark and Derek slash.  The rating is mostly a precaution.


**Warning: This is a SLASH story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy or its characters, etc.**

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As Derek walked down the hallway on his way to meet with a patient, he saw Mark leaning against a counter, flirting with one of the nurses. Grinning mischievously, Derek crept up behind his former best friend and smacked the files down loudly on the counter, causing him to jump. "Good morning Dr. Sloane. Feeling better this morning?"

"Better?"

"Well, you know… finding out you have syphilis must have been quite a shock." Derek patted Mark on the shoulder in a fake gesture of support, and then walked off, leaving him alone with the horrified nurse.

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Annoyed at Derek for messing up his chance with the nurse, Mark kept an eye on Meredith, and followed her the first time he saw her alone.

"Dr. Grey!" he exclaimed, acting surprised to see her.

"Dr. Sloane," she replied.

"How's it going?"

"Fine."

"Listen, Meredith, since you're here, I feel it's my duty as a fellow member of the Dirty Mistresses' Club to tell you something…"

She smiled at that. "Okay."

"I happened to overhear Derek the other day—"

"You mean you were eavesdropping."

He grinned. "What kind of man do you think I am? No wait - don't answer that. Anyway…" He forced himself to look serious. "He was talking to Addison…"

Meredith immediately looked slightly concerned.

"…I'm sorry, but it sounded like he wanted to try to stay with her."

She paled. "Stay…? What?"

"I don't know exactly, but I think you should definitely talk to him about it."

Meredith dropped the files she was holding, and rushed off.

Mark crossed his arms and chuckled. _Serves him right for saying I have syphilis._

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"DEREK!" Meredith sounded scared and upset - nothing new.

He sighed. "Yes?"

"Are you leaving me to stay with Addison?"

Derek froze. "What?"

"You're going to break up with me aren't you?"

"Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Mark _heard_ you talking to her! He told me what you said!"

Incredulous, Derek said, "_Mark_? You're going take _Mark's_ word over mine?"

"Why would he lie?"

Derek gaped at her. "This is _Mark_ we're talking about. All he _does_ is lie!"

Trembling angrily, Meredith yelled, "Why are you being so defensive? Forget it! Just go back to her! I don't need you anyway! It's _over,_ Derek!"

She raged off, leaving him stunned, trying to figure out what just happened. _Why would Mark…? Is this payback for this morning? I'm going to KILL him!_

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Derek stormed around the hospital searching for Mark, who was turning out to be very elusive. He spotted Karev walking up some stairs holding a cup of coffee. Sprinting after him, Derek grabbed his arm and asked, "Where is Dr. Sloane?"

Looking confused, the intern pointed vaguely, saying, "Uh…he's in room 214."

"Thanks!" Derek ran up the stairs to the room.

Mark was talking to a patient, with his back to the door.

"Dr. Sloane," Derek gritted out.

Mark turned to face him.

Derek was annoyed to see that the other man did not seem at all nervous at the sight of him. "Could I speak to you? Privately?" He could barely keep his voice from shaking with repressed fury.

Mark nodded solemnly, excusing himself from the patient.

The two men walked down the hall to an empty room. As soon as the door shut, Derek lunged at Mark, attempting to punch him in the face. Unfortunately, Mark seemed to be expecting that, and merely caught his fist and held onto it. Derek tried unsuccessfully to free himself. "Dammit, Mark! You convinced Meredith to break up with me!"

"She broke up with you?" Mark appeared to be genuinely surprised, but not at all guilty or apologetic.

"What the hell did you think she would do? You told her I was getting back together with Addie!"

"Look, Derek…Okay, I was trying to get revenge for earlier, but…she's not good for you. I still care about you, you know--"

Derek choked. "You slept with my wife! We aren't friends anymore!"

"Can't we just start over? You know me – that's just who I am. It was a mistake. I never wanted to lose your friendship."

"Yeah, well it's too late now." Finally, Derek managed to tug his hand out of Mark's grip. "Stay away from me. Or, better yet, stay away from Seattle." He put his hand on the doorknob, about to leave.

"Wait…please." Mark spoke haltingly.

He paused, but didn't turn back.

"I'm serious about Meredith; you're better off without her. You deserve someone who can love you back as much as you love them, and Meredith isn't that person. She doesn't need you like you need her. Let her go before it's too late, or you're going to get your heart broken."

Derek left without responding.

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Later that night, Derek sat in his trailer, thinking about what Mark had said. While Mark had been speaking, something had begun to stir in Derek's chest. _Is he right? I sometimes feel like I'm the only one really pursuing this relationship. I've thought a few times that Meredith could just up and leave without giving me a backwards glance._

He was silent for a while.

_Do I really love her? Maybe I was just looking for someone to replace Addie. I mean…that night in the bar…that's where I first met her. We didn't know anything about each other – not even our names, until the next morning. _

…

_Oh, God. Mark was right._

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Mark put on his jeans, and answered the door, shirtless. He stared momentarily at the person standing in front of him, and then looked back into his apartment, saying, "You have to go now."

A young woman who Derek recognized from Joe's appeared behind Mark, wearing his shirt. Seeing Derek, she frowned, and disappeared again. She left minutes later, back in her clothes, and carrying a small purse.

As the two men watched her go, Derek laughed bitterly. "You'll sleep around with anyone, won't you?"

Mark shrugged. "Pretty much." He stepped aside so that Derek could enter the apartment. He shut the door and looked questioningly at the other man. "So…what are you doing here?"

_What AM I doing here?_ "Uh…I was just thinking…about what you said earlier."

Derek thought he saw a ray of hope gleam in Mark's eyes.

"And?"

"And you're right. About…everything."

Mark grabbed Derek's shirt and pulled him into a hug. Surprised, Derek stood stock still for a moment, before slowly raising his arms and returning the hug. Mark stepped back, and then, before the other man had a chance to react, he leaned forward and crushed his lips against Derek's.

Derek pushed him away, causing ex best friend to stumble backwards. "What the hell are you doing?" He looked like he was trying to decide whether to be mortified, confused, or amused. Apparently, he chose all three.

Mark grinned at his expression. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, yeah…but…I mean…_why_?"

"Derek…I came to Seattle to get you back."

"Get me b---"

"I've always wanted to be more than a friend with you. But, you know how it is with me - I have to be with someone. Addie was the closest I could get to you."

"Oh." Derek stared at his feet silently. Tears started to fall from his eyes, but he did nothing to stop them.

"Der?" Hesitantly, Mark enveloped Derek in another hug.

Derek sobbed into Mark's shoulder, telling him about the last conversation he had with Meredith. "You're the only one I have left. I can't talk to Addie, and Meredith is gone."

Mark held the other man, shushing him softly. Eventually, Derek quieted and leaned into Mark's embrace, calmed simply by the feeling of being held. Mark took Derek's head in his hands and looked him in the eyes. Placing his fingers under Derek's chin, he tilted it upward and kissed him again, gently this time. He held the position briefly, and was about to stop when he felt the slightest twitch of Derek's lips against his. Wondering, he stuck his tongue out slightly, wetting the other man's mouth. Derek's lips parted, allowing him to deepen the kiss. As their breath mingled warmly, Derek pushed against him in desperation. Mark responded in part, and then broke the kiss and inspected his friend carefully. "Der, I love you, but…if you don't want to do this…"

His fears were quelled when Derek put a finger to his mouth to silence him. "I need this, Mark. I didn't realize it before, but…I do need you. I…I think I love you."

A brilliant smile lit up Mark's face. "Really?" he whispered happily.

Derek couldn't help smiling back. "Really."

Mark took hold of Derek's hand and squeezed it. Glancing fleetingly toward the bedroom, he peered back at the other man. After only the slightest hesitation, Derek nodded.

Mark laughed. "Finally!"

**The End**

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**Author's note: This is the first story I've written for a fandom other than Psych. Hope y'all liked it:)**

**-g0**

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